[AfrICANN-discuss] Help with .africa history

[McTim]

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 6:55 AM, Pierre Lotis NANKEP <lnankep at yahoo.fr> wrote:
> Dear Community,
>
> I think it's time for people around the world to mobilize to reorient the
> new gTLD initiative of ICANN.
>
> First, the expression "new gTLD" chosen by ICANN is not adequate. It is
> confusing.
>
> It would have been desirable, in the concern to respect the national
> sovereignty (.cameroon, .lagos, .douala, etc.),


well, some of us in the ICANN community do not believe that nation
states are soveriegn over Internet names, but that is a digression
from the facts.

 in the concern to respect
> the regional sovereignty (.africa, .afrique, .europe, etc.) and in the
> concerns to respect the cultural identities

If you read the guidebook, regional TLDs must have explicit approval
from the appropriate regional inter-governmental body!

 (.biafra, .muslim, .bamileke,
> etc.), to talk about new TLD (removing the "g"), instead of new gTLD.
>
> The international community understands the economic issues that have
> motivated the choice of ICANN, and the desire for open Internet for all and
> without control! We appreciate it!
>
> Second, For me, dotAfrica or dotAfrique belongs to the category new regional
> TLDs and not to the category new gTLDs.


I think ge-/cultural/linguistic are all sub-categories of gTLDs (as in
they are NOT ccTLDs, so anything not a ccTLD is a gTLD).


>
> From this perspective, the open conflict between DCA and UniForum will not
> exist. In this sense, ICANN can then negotiate only with the African Union.

Please read the guidebook.  The requirements are spelled out there for geo-TLDs.


>
> ICANN must implement a systematic policy to protect new national TLDs and
> new regional TLDs.

Also in the guidebook.


 Only the new gTLDs ("g" as generic and not "g" as
> geaographic) will be object of open competition.

I doubt you will get much traction for this within the ICANN community
(except maybe in the GAC), but you can try.  Best of luck with that!


-- 
Cheers,

McTim
"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A
route indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel